Tensions are intensifying in the hotel union with several shop stewards from the Cable Beach Resorts questioning certain financial dealings of the new executive team and presenting documents, which they claim support their fears that the union is in chaos.
The union has been in disarray since its May elections when incumbent president Pat Bainﾒs Rainbow Team was swept out of office by Roy Colebrookeﾒs Justice Team and the Department of Labour declared that Mr. Bain and Mr. Colebrooke had tied in the race for president.
On Wednesday, Stephen Burrows, chief shop steward for the Nassau Beach Hotel and Harrison Williams, chief shop steward of the Radisson Cable Beach Resort, along with two other shop stewards, claimed that Mr. Colebrooke and his team are abusing power, although Mr. Colebrooke quickly denied the claim.
A copy of a memorandum written by the new 1st Vice President Kirk Wilson to the controller, Sandra Ferguson, which is dated June 6, shows that Mr. Wilson ordered that all credit cards standing in the name of the union be cancelled immediately, including the card held by Pat Bain.
Further, he ordered that a corporate credit card be issued to the new executives, including Mr. Colebrooke. Another memo written by Basil McKenzie to Ms. Ferguson advises that Mr. Colebrooke be placed on the unionﾒs payroll at a salary of $1,400 per week.
Documents also showed that not too long after the election, certain new executives were given compensation for “loss of pay and benefits” as well as pay increases.
The shop stewards want to know how it is that Mr. Colebrooke is being compensated as president if the court has not yet decided on whether the election results should stand. But Mr. Colebrooke gave reporters a copy of a July 6 order from the Supreme Court naming him as one of the people authorized to sign union cheques.
General Secretary Leo Douglas, the only member of the Rainbow Team to secure a clear victory in the elections, is also authorized to sign cheques on behalf of the union.
Mr. Colebrooke also showed a letter from the Registrar of Trade Unions dated June 26 declaring that he is the union’s president.
Last month, a Supreme Court judge lifted an injunction, which had blocked members of the Justice Team from carrying on the unionﾒs business.
However, Justice Jeanne Thompson is still considering whether to quash the contested union election results, which the Rainbow Team has asked her to do.
In June, the judge issued an order which blocked Justice Team members, who were declared winners in the controversial May elections, from acting as the unionﾒs executive team.
Those members include Kirk Wilson, Lionel Morley, Sidney Rolle, Anwar Taylor, Basil McKenzie, Francis Gray, Kayla Bodie, Ian Neely, Brian Collie and Quincey Munroe.
When she made her June order, the judge had ruled that the executive team that existed prior to the election would remain in place until the judicial review is completed, but her latest action had reversed that.
“We would like to let all hotel union members know that the union is presently operating without a president and Roy Colebrooke is not the president. The Ministry of Labour appointed him as president,” Mr. Burrows said. “We have a constitution under which the union is governed, and no minister of labour, director of labour or anybody else in labour could appoint a president for our union.”
The shop stewards said they were not representing the Rainbow Team.
The shop stewards claimed that the new union executives were using union funds to pay for personal cellular phone bills and gasoline. Their documents proved that some executives were being compensated for these bills although it could not be determined whether these were “personal bills”.
“We have taken this industry from the ground up where when a shop steward walks into a managerﾒs office the respect level was there,” Mr. Williams said. “Under this Justice Team, if they come on property they disregard the fact the shop stewards are even there. [The Justice Team] is for themselves and not for the people; the people donﾒt understand the danger of these individuals.”
But Mr. Colebrooke, who showed up as the press conference was going on, denied such claims.
“Fret not yourself, I say that to all union members,” he said.
Mr. Colebrooke insisted that he was elected by union members to serve in their best interest, but shop stewards are appointed and upon recommendations from membership they could be replaced.
He claimed that the shop stewards who held the press conference are disgruntled Rainbow Team supporters who stand for everything bad that the previous administration stood for. According to Mr. Colebrooke, the union members at the properties these shop stewards represent are fed up with them and want them replaced.
“To set the record straight, if you walk through these same properties the membership has a problem with these same individuals and you know why they are still here today? Because of me; let the truth be told,” Mr. Colebrooke said. “The membership wants them gone and they will decide if they want them or not.”
He claimed that the majority of union members are pleased with the work of the Justice Team so far.
Meanwhile, all parties concerned are waiting for a determination from the court.
“Based on what the court says, whether there be brand new elections or however it turns out we are prepared to [abide by it],” Mr. Burrows said. “Weﾒre just asking for a brand new election. This is nothing personal; this is just union business weﾒre dealing with.”
By: Stephen Gay, The Bahama Journal
